The virtuousness of adult playfulness: the relation of playfulness with strengths of character

By R. Proyer, Willibald F. Ruch. 2011

98 citations recorded by the source corpus.

BackgroundIt was hypothetisized that playfulness in adults (i.e., the predisposition to play) is robustly associated with the "good character." Playfulness in adults can be tested via a global cognitive evaluation and an instrument for distinguishing five different facets of playful behaviors (spontaneous, expressive, creative, fun, and silly). Character strengths can be assessed within the framework of the Values-in-Action (VIA) classification of strengths.ResultsData were collected in an online study and the sample consisted of 268 adults. A regression analysis revealed that adult playfulness was best predicted by humor, the appreciation of beauty and excellence, low prudence, creativity, and teamwork. As expected, single strengths (e.g., creativity, zest, and hope) demonstrated strong relations with facets of playfulness with its fun-variants yielding the numerically highest relations. The fun-variant of playfulness was most strongly related with emotional strengths while intellectual strengths yielded robust relations with all facets of playfulness. Strengths of restraint were negatively related with spontaneous, expressive, and silly-variants of playfulness.ConclusionsThe findings were in line with expectations and are discussed within a broader framework of research in playfulness in adults. The results indicate that playfulness in adults relates to positive psychological functioning and that more studies further illuminating the contribution of playfulness to well-being in adults are warranted.

Subfields: Literature and Literary Theory, Social Psychology, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/484c1cfbcb1f853aca9ae82b2728bd7df4231fc8

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Literature and Literary Theory

1. R. Proyer
2. Willibald F. Ruch
3. F. Gander
4. S. Wellenzohn
5. A. Capezio
6. C. Petelczyc
7. Karl Aquino
8. Lu Wang

In Social Psychology

1. Willibald F. Ruch
2. R. Proyer
3. S. Wellenzohn
4. F. Gander
5. S. Restubog
6. Lu Wang
7. C. Petelczyc
8. A. Capezio

In Sociology and Political Science

1. R. Proyer
2. S. Restubog
3. Willibald F. Ruch
4. Lu Wang
5. A. Capezio
6. C. Petelczyc
7. Karl Aquino
8. S. Wellenzohn

Citations in the corpus

• Examining playfulness in adults: Testing its correlates with personality, positive psychological functioning, goal aspirations, and multi-methodically assessed ingenuity (2012, unknown): “It is argued that playfulness may have potential for increasing passion and joy or love of learning in the learners (cf. Russ & Christian, 2011; Proyer & Ruch, 2011).”
• What good are character strengths beyond subjective well-being? The contribution of the good character on self-reported health-oriented behavior, physical fitness, and the subjective health status (2013, methodology): “The German version has already been used in several studies supporting its good psychometric properties (e.g. Buschor et al., in press; Gander et al., 2012; Güsewell & Ruch, 2012a, 2012b; Harzer & Ruch, in press; Müller & Ruch, 2011; Proyer & Ruch, 2009; Proyer & Ruch, 2011; Proyer et al., 2011).”
• A new structural model for the study of adult playfulness: Assessment and exploration of an understudied individual differences variable (2017, background): “As in earlier studies (Proyer, 2011, 2012b,c; Proyer & Ruch, 2011), the German version of the instrument was used.”
• The well-being of playful adults: Adult playfulness, subjective well-being, physical well-being, and the pursuit of enjoyable activities (2013, methodology): “As in Proyer and Ruch (2011) and Proyer (2012c), playfulness has been assessed via a short instrument for overall playfulness (in the sense of an easy onset and high intensity of playful experiences along with the frequent display of playful activities; Proyer 2012b) and by means of Glynn and…”
• Development and initial assessment of a short measure for adult playfulness: The SMAP (2012, background): “Also, the rise of positive psychology opens new fields of applications such as studying the contributions of playfulness to different aspects of well-being (Proyer, 2012), quality of life (Proyer et al., 2010), or virtuousness (Proyer and Ruch, 2011).”
• Play at Work: An Integrative Review and Agenda for Future Research (2018, background): “This research has found that adult playfulness is associated with emotional and affective outcomes, including increased optimism (Yarnal & Qian, 2011) and positive affect (Proyer & Ruch, 2011; Webster & Martocchio, 1992; Yarnal & Qian, 2011).”